outlawswine

So great news! I took the plugs out and put some Marvel Mystery Oil in there. Let it sit for a day or so and added a bit more. Took the old belt off and was able to turn the crank by hand after a couple of seconds. The motor turns over very smoothly. I have decided to just go ahead and replace everything associated with liquid (water and fuel hoses, lines etc). Now just have to wait for a whole bunch of parts to come in (belt, hoses, fuel lines, filter, vacuum lines, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, points, etc etc). Dropping the fuel tank and pulling the radiator today to have them cleaned out next week at a local radiator shop. Hopefully get the carbs cleaned up next week as well. Maybe in a couple of weeks I may can see if she'll fire up on her on.......maybe. FYI - Interior that has been sitting for 25 years has an unusual funk smell to it.

@Zup That is absolutely gorgeous. Well done!

@jonathanrussell Holy crap, EXCELLENT observation. That is exactly what happened. When my grandfather quit driving it, which he rarely did anyway, he would go crank it every now and then (very rarely). He did this for about 3 years then just quit and let it sit.

I pulled the plugs and I've got a little ATF working in the cylinders right now. Gonna let it sit overnight and see how we look in the morning. Just trying to get it to where I can rotate the crank by hand. While I'm waiting on the ATF to do its thing, I took @siteunseen and @jonathanrussells advice and took a peek under the valve cover and snapped a few pics. Here is a link to the valve train pics: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TPUxPWytVQs9eWK47

@Zup No no, no offense at all. When I wrote that comment, that was based off of the information I had at the time. I have been speaking with my Uncle for the last 2 hours or so getting more info and some of the backstory (he likes to tell stories so every conversation is 2 hours long lol). You were EXACTLY right! Pretty much everything I thought I knew about the car was incorrect. Here is what I have found out and it isn't what I thought..... The car has rolled over, so it is 135k miles. The top end was rebuilt at 90k miles and at that time the SU carbs were put on it. I was told my family bought it new but that was incorrect. They bought it with 110k miles on it. They only put 25k miles on it, that is why I was under the impression that 35k was correct. The car was purchased new by a Birmingham, Al pharmacist from Bill Whiten Datsun in Ensley, Al. My uncle purchased it in 1983 and sold it to my Grandfather about 5 or so years later in 88 or 89. That is when the car was resprayed. The car was parked a few years later and was never cranked again. The seats were recovered in 1984 with reproduction seat covers.

Other than space, there is really no reason for me to get rid of it. In fact I'm already putting together a parts list of stuff to bring the engine back to life. Belts, hoses, fuel lines, tune up kits, plugs, carb rebuilt kit etc. I don't think these are the factory carbs on there though. I think they may be the earlier SU carbs (71 or 72 maybe?) If you guys know of any 240 guys in Central Alabama, please let me know. I'd love for someone that actually knows what they are looking at to give me their opinion on the condition.

This is the barn I pulled it out from. I wish it would have been concrete floors instead of dirt but I'm not that lucky.....

I don't know much about these cars yet, so I'll have to look up the 4 screw version to see what you are talking about. I'm just now reading up on the different types of carbs these things came with. It's definitely 35K original. Proving that will be hard though without documentation. I can remember growing up that this thing was only driven once in a blue moon and then it was parked in the barn somewhere around 1992.

You are 100% correct. I spoke with my uncle last night and apparently he was the one that purchased the care new and sold it to my grandfather in 1982. The car was resprayed at some point because my granddad didn't think it was "shiny enough". This is according to my uncle. I'm hoping to get the whole story with this car soon. It looks like the plot thickens.... :)

It is a pub type. Brewery/distillery/winery/restaurant/entertainment venue. All the above. LOL. It started out as a small little venture but now it has turned into an 8500 sq ft nightmare. Yeah, the tires are horrible. The left front blew hard when we took it off the rollback. I have the original wheels and hubcaps so I'm going to get some used tires to stick on them just so I can move it around the garage.

Here are all the pics I've taken of it... https://photos.app.goo.gl/3bxhAmRXWZwz9L9n9

That is something the wife and I will need to address. Time and money right now are at a premium because we are in the middle of opening a new brewery and distillery. All time right now is spent on beer and whiskey. I really want to keep it to work on as a father/son project with my 9 yr old. I was a mechanic as I worked my way through college and he's been wanting a project to work on together.

Hey guys. I'm new to the Z car world. I inherited a "barn find" '73 240 this week. It was my grandfathers and it has been tucked away in his barn for 25 years. I had actually forgotten about the car. Anyway, it is mine now and I'm trying to figure out what to do with it. Should I restore it or just sell it. I don't have a tremendous amount of time to work on it so I'm kind of torn on what to do. It is completely all original. Interior is in good shape (needs a good cleaning). It only has 35k original miles and only a few spots of surface rust. I gave it a wash and it looks pretty solid. Planning on pulling the plugs tonight to be sure the engine will rotate. Anyway, looking forward to chatting with you guys. Here she is all cleaned up.....